AWW22 The Brilliant Boy: Doc Evatt and the Great Australian Dissent - Gideon Haigh
Chaired by Anthony Durkin
1937. Seven-year-old Maxie falls into a rain-filled trench and drowns. From this tragedy emerges one of the High Court’s most engrossing cases and a landmark decision on the impact and import of inner suffering. The judge was ‘Doc’ Evatt – quick-witted, humane, brusque but flawed, a man who could brilliantly seize the moment but, like the dead brilliant Maxie, arguably fell short of his potential. A story of politics, pride, love, and an Australia growing into its skin, The Brilliant Boy is a dexterously handled slice of history by one of our finest – Gideon Haigh.